


go forward slowly (it's not a race to the end)

by NayaKatic



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-10-25 18:31:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17730431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NayaKatic/pseuds/NayaKatic
Summary: a collection of moments between zari and charlie.





	1. nightmares.

**Author's Note:**

> well hello there, welcome to this.
> 
> this doesn't really have a plot, i just miss legends and zari and charlie and wanted to write my feelings down. i hope you'll still enjoy this v self indulgent... thing. 
> 
> ok, love u.

Zari wakes up in the middle of the night from an unsettling dream. She doesn't remember much of it, she thinks there might have been a puppet involved and a song by the Indigo Girls playing in the background. It leaves her feeling uneasy for some odd reason so she gets out of her bed and her room. 

Everything is silent around her, except for the constant hum of the ship's engine. The ground is cold beneath her feet and she almost regrets leaving her room without any shoes on but she's also too tired to care. She decides to quickly stop in the kitchen to get herself a glass of water and then she goes to the bridge. She likes to sit there and watch the temporal zone through the glass. After a year, the green haze has almost become soothing. She's sitting in the dark, only illuminated by green when the quiet is interrupted by glasses rattling against each other. 

Zari jumps and turns around to see Charlie standing in the parlor, a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a surprised look on her face. 

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" 

Zari can't help but roll her eyes. It's like an automatic response to Charlie's voice at this point, "I could ask you the same thing." 

Charlie shrugs, not all that bothered at being found stealing Sara's liquor. Again. 

"Fancy a drink?" she asks while pointing at Zari with the bottle. 

Zari raises her own glass of water with a tight-lipped smile, "I'm good, thanks." 

"Suit yourself." 

Zari turns back around to look at the temporal zone. She thinks Charlie has left until she hears one of the seats behind her creak and the faint noise of someone drinking from a bottle. 

"So why aren't you sleeping then?" 

Zari sighs, wonders if the shapeshifter would leave if she ignores her long enough. Somehow she doubts it, figuring that Charlie would find another way to bug her. She keeps her back turned when she replies. 

"Had a weird dream about being a puppet." 

Charlie is silent behind her for so long that Zari starts wondering if maybe she left after all. Until she hears her shift on her seat and then she's standing against the side of the console, facing Zari. She can see Charlie's smirk, even in the dim light, and braces herself for whatever joke or inappropriate comment Charlie is about to throw her way. 

She came here because she wanted peace and quiet. 

But to her surprise, Charlie's smirk vanishes after a second and she leans towards Zari a little bit, forcing her to actually look at her. 

"I'm sorry about that. I don't think I properly apologized for, you know, shoving you in a backpack and all that." 

She seems sincere, just like she did a few days ago in that hallway, admitting that the Legends weren't complete rubbish. The earnestness in Charlie's eyes reminds Zari of Amaya. It makes her uncomfortable and aware of how much she misses her best friend so she stops looking at her.

"Yeah, well... it's fine, it's not like it was a bad dream or anything. Just weird." 

Charlie nods and follows Zari's stare to the green surrounding them. 

"I'm glad to hear that," Charlie's voice is so quiet, Zari wonders if she actually said anything. She takes a swig of whiskey and keeps staring at the green void. The bottle is half empty and Zari wonders if it already was at the beginning of the night or if Charlie is that thirsty. She looks lost in thought and for once, Charlie is quiet, calm. Zari doesn't feel any of that chaotic energy that usually surrounds the shapeshifter. It makes Zari curious. 

"Why are you awake then? Do shapeshifters not need any sleep?" It's kind of a weird question and it was meant as a joke but Zari finds herself waiting for the answer. She doesn't know anything about shapeshifters. Maybe Charlie doesn't need to sleep as much as humans do. 

Maybe she doesn't even eat like those sparkly vampires in those weird movies Nate had made her watch. 

"Couldn't sleep," she raises the bottle and watches the liquid swirl inside. She takes a sip out of the bottle and Zari watches the movement of her throat as she swallows. She seems to get lost in thought after that and the quiet between them unsettles Zari just a little bit. 

"Scared the cursed puppets will find you in your dreams too?"

Charlie laughs and her eyes focus on Zari again, "not quite." That makes Zari raise an eyebrow because Charlie might not be afraid of puppets but she is afraid of something. She might not know Charlie all that well, but she knows what fear looks like and the haunted look that darkens Charlie's eyes right then is just that. Fear. 

Zari half expects to be ignored but then Charlie speaks. 

"I keep having this nightmare where I'm stuck in the magical dimension again except this time I can't shapeshift," Charlie's face is blank and Zari wants to understand except she can't. She doesn't know what this magical prison was like and she doesn't really understand why shapeshifting is this important to Charlie. She understands that it is part of who she is just like the totem is part of her. She can understand that losing that part of yourself can be scary, after all, she had almost burned her hands to get her totem back from the fire in Salem. 

But there's something in the way Charlie talks about shapeshifting that makes it sound like it's who she is entirely. 

Well... she _is_ a shapeshifter. 

Zari is really tired and so her thoughts must have been reflected because next thing she knows, Charlie is talking again, "shapeshifting is how I survived in prison." 

She takes another swig of whiskey, "I shapeshifted into the scariest monster so I wouldn't be bothered. That's how I stayed alive basically." 

Zari takes in this new information and nods. Now that she thinks about it, Charlie rarely mentions what it was like in the magical prison. She tells them about who she encountered and what she knows about the fugitives but never what she went through. Zari hadn't asked either. 

"This makes a lot more sense than you being afraid of aging," and it does, to Zari, explain why Charlie was so ready to help Constantine break the timeline to get her powers back. Charlie laughs and shrugs as she looks down at Zari again. 

"I've never really thought about death before, you know?" She makes the liquid in the bottle dance, "this being mortal thing is just as scary as a bloodthirsty unicorn is to Gary." Zari chuckles and takes a sip from her own glass of water that had been forgotten in her own hand. They stay there, both silent and staring at the green haze surrounding them. 

Charlie is the first one to break the quiet with a long sigh. 

"Alright then, I should go back to my room," Zari nods and gets up. 

They walk together back to the kitchen entrance. Zari goes in while Charlie stays back. 

"You should go back to sleep," Zari hears her say and she's about to wish her a good night when Charlie adds, "you really need your beauty sleep." Zari flips her off and all she hears is Charlie's laugh as she walks away.


	2. music

Zari searches for loopholes.

 

She's run the simulation countless times now. Logically, she knows nothing has changed since last time. She knows there's still no way to save Desmond without it having catastrophic repercussions on the timeline. Logic, though, doesn't stop her from trying to find a solution because she had never seen John look so desperate than during the whole New Orleans fiasco. 

 

Her music plays loudly from her headphones. The loud drums and guitar keep her focused on her computer screen. Last time she had so intently searched for loopholes was earlier in the year, right after she had seen her younger self with her mother in 2018. She had missed her family so much that she'd run the same simulations she had countless times before in the hopes that something had changed. 

 

Nothing had, of course, her family was still gone and there was nothing she could do about it. 

 

She startles suddenly when a hand appears next to her head, holding a soda can. She turns to see Charlie and her usual smirk stuck to her face. She moves her lips to say something but Zari still has her music playing loudly in her ears. Charlie looks at her expectantly until Zari finally takes her headphones off.

 

"Sara was afraid you'd starve to death."

 

She puts a sandwich down next to the keyboard and the soda next to it. Zari's stomach starts to rumble which only serves to make Charlie's smirk widen. Zari glares at her but still manages to let out a hard "thanks". 

 

Charlie nods and Zari expects her to leave except, as usual, she doesn't. Instead, she leans against the desk and takes Zari's headphones from her hands.

 

"So what kind of rubbish do you listen to?"

 

Zari can see the moment in which whatever joke that was on the tip of Charlie's tongue dies. Her usual smirk is replaced by a genuine smile and her eyes light up with appreciation. Zari is struck by how different she looks as she starts bobbing her head along to the beat of the song. 

 

"You actually have taste. Who would've thought?"

 

She's yelling over the music only she can hear and Zari rolls her eyes. She's about to take the headphones back when Charlie backs up and starts a very intense air guitar solo. Her eyes are closed but she still has the same smile on her face. She's giving it her all and it's so  _ ridiculous _ that Zari can feel an incredulous smile make its way on her own face. Charlie keeps going even once the guitar solo is apparently done, she starts air drumming. When she opens her eyes, Zari is still looking at her and she swears Charlie's smile broadens.

 

"I love this song. And the band."

 

"Really?"

 

Zari is genuinely surprised. Whether by the fact that she and Charlie have something in common or because Charlie is willingly sharing personal information with her, she doesn't know. Charlie just nods excitedly. She's back to leaning against the desk, next to Zari, and slowly takes the headphones off. She's staring off in the distance like she's lost in her memories. 

 

"Could listen to their songs for hours... I did actually," she licks her bottom lip before biting it and turning to look at Zari, "The first thing I heard when I got to earth was one of their songs. My first taste of freedom."

 

Zari doesn't know what to say, not really, so she says the first thing that comes to mind, "I used to listen to them to piss off my mom."

 

Charlie whistles, apparently impressed for some reason, "Zari Tomaz, a rebel? You keep surprising me."

 

Zari raises her eyebrows and turns to the sandwich in front of her. She takes a bite and tries not to be weirded out by the way Charlie is looking at her.

 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 

Charlie shrugs, unbothered, "I just pictured you as a rule follower, not really the kind to go against your mum's wishes."

 

Zari hadn't really been that much of a rebel. She'd always had a nice relationship with her parents including as a teenager. They'd had their fair share of fights, the kind of fights that don't really mean anything in the long run but feel like the end of the world as a teenager. Those were the time when she would stomp to her room and play her music loudly enough that her mom would get mad and start yelling again. 

 

As for following the rules, Zari had never been very good at that.

 

"You really don't know me," is what she settles on as she takes another bite of her sandwich. She looks up to find Charlie already staring at her.

 

"Maybe. But I'd like to. Know you, I mean."

 

She doesn't know what to say. She knows how to deal with the annoying Charlie who keeps teasing to get a rise out of her. This honest version of Charlie? She doesn't know how to react to her. Part of her is reminded of Amaya, of how soft her eyes had looked whenever she had talked to Zari about family, the totem, or just life in general. Another part of her is starting to associate this look with the shapeshifter that confessed to having nightmares only a few nights ago.

 

"We live on a time ship with only one bathroom. We're bound to get to know each other." 

 

"Well, I already know you have  _ some  _ taste" Zari looks up at Charlie who smiles innocently, "at least when it comes to music."

 

Zari nods and takes another bite of her sandwich and that's the exact moment Charlie decides to keep talking, "and when it comes to people. I mean, you do think I'm hot."

 

Zari chokes on a bit of tomato and Charlie bursts out laughing. She pats Zari on the shoulder as if that'll save her from choking. It doesn't obviously and Zari keeps wheezing for a few seconds before she can talk.  

 

"I never said that."

 

Charlie starts walking backwards, away from Zari, while grinning, "oh but you did, love."

 

She does  _ finger guns _ before turning back around and walking away from the lab. Zari finishes the last bites of her sandwiches and goes back to her program. 

 

She tries not to smile when she puts her headphones back on and fails miserably. 


	3. laundry

The laundry room is really quiet which is exactly what Zari needs.

 

She's sitting crossed leg on the table, reading Mick's new chapter of galactic erotica while she waits for her clothes to be washed. The new chapter is good but it's also very…  _ explicit _ . Zari doesn't know exactly how or when she got this invested in the story but she is and she feels her face burning as she reads the words on the page. Not only that but her heart is beating rapidly and she's actually affected by what Garima and Buck are doing and she wishes she could stop reading for a minute but she can't. 

 

She's so engrossed in the story that she doesn't notice it when someone walks into the room. 

 

"Hey, if it ain't my favorite kitty," is what Charlie greets her with. 

 

Usually, Zari would've been annoyed by  _ something _ , most likely by the fact that Charlie just called her  _ kitty _ . As it is, Zari panics and doesn't have time to be annoyed when she's too busy trying to hide what she'd just been reading. She closes the manuscript so hard she almost sends a page flying. She catches it in time and brings it back on top of the rest and puts as much distance between the book and Charlie as she can by hiding it under her knee. All that agitation only serves to feed Charlie's curiosity who looks at Zari with a raised eyebrow as she puts her pile of dirty clothes next to Zari on the table.

 

"You alright, there?"

 

Zari nods and answers in what she hopes is a casual enough manner, "yeah, you know, just- waiting."

 

Charlie leans against the table and completely ignores Zari's answer to focus on the manuscript she can see picking out from under Zari's knee, "what's that?"

 

Zari thinks about playing dumb and pretending like she doesn't know what Charlie is talking about. She knows it won't work because Charlie had obviously seen her try- and fail- to hide Mick's book but she's desperate enough to give it some thought. Her other choice is to acknowledge the existence of the book and try to play it off as something innocent that wouldn't fuel Charlie's innate need to tease her. 

 

"Oh nothing, it's, uhm, the ship's rule book. Gideon likes to keep us informed."

 

That sounds like a terrible excuse to her and she wonders when she turned into as much of a bad liar as Ray. Charlie seems to believe her though because apparently, she thinks Zari is boring enough to be entertained by a  _ rule book _ while waiting for her laundry. She'd be insulted except that in this case, it plays in her favour. 

 

She silently exhales a breath of relief when Charlie nods and turns back to her dirty clothes. But suddenly, Charlie moves and snaps the manuscript from its tight rest under Zari's knee and lets out a victorious laugh as she runs to the other side of the small room. Zari almost falls down as she tries to get up fast enough to retrieve the book.

 

"No way in hell were you that interested by a rule book."

 

Zari tries reaching for the manuscript in Charlie's hands but the latter raises her arm and puts the book out of Zari's reach. It forces Zari to stand on the tip of her toes and she's almost got it when Charlie manages to get it higher. The movement makes Zari lose her balance so she puts a hand on Charlie's waist and leans into her a bit so she doesn't fall on her face. She's aware of how close they're standing together and so is Charlie if the cocky grin on her face is anything to go by.

 

"If you wanted to cuddle, all you had to do was ask."

 

Zari glares and speaks through gritted teeth, "give it back."

 

Charlie doesn't listen because she never does, that'd be too easy. Instead, she looks up to the manuscript in her still raised hand. It's opened to a random page and Zari could hope that Charlie had chosen a clean part of the story except Zari knows that not one single page of that chapter is clean. It's about 40 pages worth of filth and Zari sees the exact moment Charlie realizes that. She immediately brings down the book to look at it more closely and her eyes widen in surprise and when she looks back at Zari, it's with sheer bliss.

 

"Were you reading porn?"

 

The blush she can feel burning in her cheeks combined with the fact that she doesn't say anything are all the answers Charlie needs. 

 

"You were!"

 

Charlie bursting into laughter is what snaps Zari out of her embarrassment. Now that Charlie is too busy laughing, it's easier for her to take back the incriminating pages from Charlie's hands.

 

"It's not porn!"

 

She turns away to put the manuscript back where she was sitting before. She can hear Charlie sniff behind her and Zari can't believe the asshole is actually laughing to  _ tears _ about this. 

 

"Oh really?" She's right next to Zari, leaning against the table again. One hand is dangerously close to the manuscript and Zari's own hand. Charlie leans closer to her and her voice drops to a whisper as she keeps talking, "how do you call it then when someone  _ sensually caressed one of her three nippl- _ "

 

Zari swirls around to face Charlie before she can finish her sentence, "no!"

 

Charlie raises one eyebrow again and keeps smirking at Zari in that insufferable way she does. She looks down at Zari's lips and that's exactly the moment Zari's brain catches up to the fact that they're standing close to each other.  _ Again _ . 

 

"Looks like we keep finding each other in the same position, love."

 

Zari wants to snap back, wants to smack that smirk out of Charlie's face but at that same moment, her traitorous brain thinks about how it'd be  _ much nicer _ to kiss it off her lips. She feels her whole body respond to that thought and she's never felt this betrayed by her own body. She feels her cheeks warm up again, her heart is beating loudly in her ears and her eyes drop to Charlie's lips before she can do anything about it. 

 

Charlie notices, how could she not, they're literally breathing each other's air. Her smirk turns into a knowing smile and that somehow looks even more inviting.

 

"You're insufferable."

 

It's said so quietly that Zari isn't sure if she's even heard herself say it. Charlie steps even closer which felt impossible to Zari but apparently is not.

 

"Keep telling yourself that, Z."

 

This time, Zari can literally feel the  _ words _ hit her lips. 

 

She doesn't step back.

 

Neither does Charlie. 

 

She thinks she knows what's about to happen.

 

Except, the machine behind her suddenly beeps and Zari jumps away from Charlie. She looks around like she'd forgotten where she was and, well, to be honest, she kind of had. She gets her basket and shoves all of her clothes in there without looking at Charlie. When she does look at her, she's still leaning against the table, the same knowing smile on her lips and extending Mick's manuscript towards Zari with one hand. 

 

"Don't forget this."

 

Zari doesn't say anything. She rolls her eyes and gets out of the room as fast as she can. 

 

Once outside, she exhales.

 

_ What the hell was that? _


End file.
